Italian police said on Wednesday they had busted an Eritrean trafficking ring accused of smuggling migrants into Europe on perilous Mediterranean boat crossings, including one in which 244 people died.

Police arrested ten Eritreans after an investigation uncovered "existence of a transnational organization, operating in Italy, Libya, Eritrea, and other North-African states," according to a statement released by police in Catania, Sicily, where the investigation was launched in May.

The group organized boat departures from Libya to Italy, with "footsoldiers" in the Lazio and Lombardy regions who provided "logistical support to migrants and smugglers...to help them from Sicily to Italy, then on to other countries in Europe," Antontio Salvago of Catania police told AFP.

Nine of those taken into custody were arrested on November 25th in Italy, while the tenth - named as Measho Tesfamariam and accused of being one of the ringleaders - was arrested on Tuesday in Germany.

The group is accused of organizing 23 trips from Libya to Italy between May and September, while Tesfamariam is alleged to have personally overseen in Libya the departure of an overcrowded vessel which sank off the North African coast between June 27th and 28th, killing all 224 people on board.

During a raid in Catania, police also arrested an 11th Eritrean accused of harbouring nine Somalians, eight of whom were minors, in a small locked room.

"Trafficking ring arrested...", good news but those arrested unless they disclose some big names they are insignificant couriers, the real criminals are so far safe and protected by powerful NGOs who can easily corrupt the Italian authorities or abuse the unclear and confused rules.

Although this arrested are innocent until proven guilty in the courts, and justice will be served, the thing I like to learn more of the "untold" story- who else were the other collaborators to this group of ring leaders- inside the country and the diaspora.

Exactly as fabricated accusations for sanctioning Eritrea on the case of Somalia, Djibuty and your masterminders Ethiopia. Bring me a proof. Mr CruiseYou can endless accuse Eritrea without any credible proof

No one is excluded, if there are Eritrean generals involved in this hideous criminal enterprise, they might be protected too but not for long.You as Cruise, in case you have tangible evidence, present it to the right assigned EU & African commission thus demonstrate that you're a responsible person and not a mere internet charlatan and or a gossip/rumor monger.

Now, this cold blooded murderers, will face justice for what they've done. there will be no mercy, they will rot in prison, for the rest of their miserable lives. This fools are just a small fishes in the smuggling/human trafficking ring, the bigger fishes are out there. everyone knows the big fish always sacrifice the smaller one, to cover his/hers tracks. the biggest fishes like, the criminals of EYSC, fake Aba Mussie, Elsa Chirum, meron Estifanos and Selam kidane and so on...are out there, this so called Eritreans they make the Eri people as casualty of cold-war, So the people of Eritrea can turn against their government out of despair. but the Eritrean people knows who their enemies are and they will never break their vows. cuz if Shaebia falls so does Eritrea. and the hyenas from the south are always there waiting for opportunity that will never come. but soon their time will come like this criminals, minions of them.